Lost Without You
by Deadly Beauty
Summary: "It's like all of my feeling and emotions are tied up into one little ball and it's hell trying to sort it out on my own." When 18 is struggling against everything inside her, she recieves advice from the most unlikley person. But will it be enoug


Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT.

A/N: Well I'm back where I feel most comfortable. Writing good ol' K/18. This is just a little one shotter to get me back into the habit of writing Kame Island instead of Palace of Vegeta-sei and I hope you'll all enjoy it. This is a little K/18 get together that I whipped up in a few afternoons, so let me know what you think. D.B

P.S Since ff.net is being gay, I have to use crappy scene seperators, if you see this '---' it means the same scene but from a different persons POV or something. If you see this '---------------' that it means it is a completly new scene. Until ff.net fixes their stupid problem I'm gonna have to do it this way, sorry.

**Lost Without You**

"Hey, I'm going to the Sons' this afternoon. Wanna come with?" Krillen asked while stirring some sugar into his morning coffee.

18 blinked as she entered the kitchen. "How did you know I was here?" she asked as she sat down at the table and pulled her robe tighter around her self. They may have lived on a tropical island, but it still got quite chilly during the winter months.

"18," Krillen replied as he joined her at the table, "as much as you would like to believe it. I'm not stupid" He smiled at her from behind his mug. "And I'm not deaf either"

"I'll remember that next time."

There was a brief silence as Krillen gulped down his coffee. 18 found it intriguing; they way these humans were so dependant on coffee in the mornings. She had learnt that with out it, they were like zombies, and Krillen had explained to her that it helped to wake people up in the morning and get them ready to face they day – and she understood that. But she didn't understand why one couldn't visit another without having at least one mug of coffee. Were the topics of conversation when visiting friends so utterly boring that they needed coffee to stay awake?

"So," Krillens voice filled the room as he stood up and washed out his mug, "Do you want to come with me this afternoon or not?"

"Where?" 18 asked, obviously she had been so focused on sneaking up on Krillen the first time he had asked, that she had failed to hear his question.

Shaking his head, Krillen smiled. "To the Sons"

"Oh, I don't think so" she replied

"Why not?" Krillen handed her a mug of tea, since for some reason she was anti-coffee.

"It's awkward being there. They feel uncomfortable and I feel uncomfortable"

"Aw c'mon. Don't be a party pooper. We'll have a great afternoon, and if you want, we can stop some where on the way home and get some dinner" Krillen tried to persuade her to come with him using her weakness for the city. He knew she wouldn't say no now.

"Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow

"Really." He replied, "my treat"

"Fine" she rolled her eyes. How was it that he always managed to manipulate her into getting everything his own way? She swore to herself she would figure out his secret someday.

"Great!" Krillens eyes lit up when she agreed. "Well, be ready to leave at 2 ok"

Roshi walked into the kitchen then. "Morning love birds" he greeted them, knowing it would tick them off.

Krillen looked very unimpressed, mainly because he knew that 18 was going to be in a bad mood now. "We are not 'love birds' master. Please, show a little more maturity".

---

18 stood in front of the mirror holding an outfit against her body. Why was she so concerned with her appearance? She wasn't trying to impress anyone. Yet still, she didn't like the look of her current selection, so tossing it to the ground, she sighed and headed back to the closet in search of some thing else. She knew she had to dress warm, as their destination was in the mountains, and it was winter, and in winter in the mountains there was snow.

Finally, 18 decided on a pair of dark jeans and a fluffy white off the shoulder jumper. Looking up at the clock, she realised she was ready far to early; she still had over an hour to kill. Walking over to the window, she pulled it open and climbed out onto the roof.

Apparently though, she wasn't the only one who had had that idea. Krillen was also sitting atop the Kame House, his back facing 18.

'_Excellent_' 18 thought to herself. This would be the perfect opportunity to get her revenge from earlier that morning

Raising a few inches from the roof she slowly approached him. He wouldn't notice her, she had no Ki. Soon she was right behind him, she could hear his steady breathing. His legs were dangling off the side of the roof, 18 would show him. Without a second thought, 18 stretched out her arms and gave Krillen a hard shove in the back. He let out a shocked yelp as he toppled over and fell off the roof. Only to catch himself seconds later and come flying back at 18.

"What the hell was that for?" he asked, his face noticeably pale from the scare.

"To prove that I can sneak up on you"

"Yeah, well that was cheating" Krillen pouted like a child, knowing full well that his argument wasn't valid. He just hated to be wrong.

"Oh get over it" 18 ended the conversation as she sat down beside him. Neither of them spoke as they watched the wind create big choppy waves far out at sea. They sky was covered in grey clouds, occasionally, a patch of blue would force its way through, but they were few and far between. She wouldn't be in the least surprised if they received a massive downpour during the night. Then she and Krillen would have to spend the entire next day cleaning the debris the storm had washed up. She had been here on the island for almost seven months now, and in that time she had seen her fare share of storms, but not once had any treasure or anything special washed up on the island. It was driftwood and dead sea animals mostly. Never any pirates gold. When she had consulted Krillen about it, he had only laughed and told her to 'keep dreaming'.

Suddenly, the wind picked up and started blowing sand wildly around the island. 18 raised her arm to block her eyes from the tiny yet painful sand granules. Krillen, acting on instinct – and being the gentleman that he was, moved closer to 18 and flared up his Ki, effectively stopping the sand from reaching them.

Once the wind stopped, he lowered his Ki, only to find 18 looking at him, smiling. It was unusual to see her smile like that, and it took Krillens breath away. He wondered for the million and first time just what he had done right to be able to share his humble little home with this woman. Surely there were a million other men who deserved her company more than he did.

"Thanks" she said as she raked her fingers though her hair as if they were a brush.

"Heh" Krillen felt his cheeks getting warm, and he hoped 18 didn't notice. He really did turn to mush when she was around "don't mention it".

Looking up at the sky, 18 noticed it had gotten even greyer. "It's going to rain soon". Krillen also titled his head upwards. "You're right. We should probably head off then huh? Beat the rain?"

"Probably" 18 agreed as she stood up and walked back toward the window where she climbed in. "I'll meet you down stairs in a few minutes."

---------------

20 minutes later, Krillen and 18 were soaring through the sky, they had left the grey clouds far behind, and now they were flying over lush green paddocks which were slowing beginning to turn into the mountain area, and underneath a crisp blue sky. At Kame house it had just been miserable, out here, it was cold. They just couldn't win.

"Only about 10 minutes to go" Krillen informed the beauty beside him. Slowing down considerably, 18 turned her head and looked at him quizzically. She had been just about to ask him. "How the hell did you know what I was going to ask?"

Krillen rolled over in the sky and looked up at her. "I already told you, I'm not stupid" he added a cheeky grin to annoy her even more. He loved to push her buttons, mainly because he knew that 18 was aware it was all in good fun. That as much as Krillen picked on her, he still loved her and cared deeply for her. On second thoughts, did 18 have any idea of Krillens feelings for her? That she was the very centre of his universe. Or did she think of it as a friendship and nothing more?

"You are so infuriating Krillen!" 18 scowled at him and he only laughed.

Soon the small cottage came into view. As soon as he landed, Krillen headed for the door, eager to see Chi-chi, Gohan and tiny Goten. 18 however, lingered back. "C'mon 18," he motioned for her to come over to him, "They don't bite"

Sighing, 18 walked across the garden and stood beside Krillen as he knocked.

"Just a minute!" came a call from some where inside the house. It had obviously been Chi-chi. Krillen began to move his legs up and down on the spot and rub his hands together to produce some warmth, snow crunching under his shoes as he did.

18 too, was also freezing, but she wasn't going to reduce herself to that.

Krillen raised his hand to knock again, and just as he did, the door swung open and instantly the pair on the step were greeted with an inviting burst of warm air. "Hi guys" Chi-chi greeted them with a smile. "Come in, come in, you're going to catch chills out there" she ushered them into the house and shut the door behind them.

Krillen had to smile, that was Chi-chi's way. She was such a mother, most of the time she didn't even realise she was doing it. "How have you been?" Chi-chi asked, "Please, sit down"

As instructed, they sat down at the kitchen table, and watched as Chi-chi busied herself putting the kettle on and pulling a cake out of the oven. Did she ever stop?

"Good, we've been good" Krillen replied. He didn't get any further though, as Gohan came bursting into the kitchen, a wide smile on his face at the sight of his friend. "Krillen!" he cried loudly.

"Gohan, show a little respect. You're brother is sleeping" Chi-chi scolded her eldest child. Krillen had to snigger.

"It's great to see you Gohan. I think you've gotten taller again" Krillen informed the 13 year old. Gohan smiled and stood up straighter, "One day I'm gonna be as tall as dad"

"One day" Krillen agreed with a smile, his mind momentarily flashing back to Goku, the best friend a guy could have had.

Chi-chi was going to say something, but she stopped and smiled knowingly. "Goten is awake" she looked at Gohan and raised her eyebrows in an I-told-you-so manner. "Do you want me to go and get him?" Krillen offered, more than willing to help.

"That would be lovely" Chi-chi replied as she slipped into the seat beside 18. Krillen got up and walked away, Gohan close behind. Chi-chi knew they wouldn't be back for quiet some time.

18 tried to avoid making eye contact with Chi-chi. Here, alone in the house, with the wife of the man she was built to kill, wasn't exactly her favourite place to be. Sure, she had come with Krillen to the Sons' before, and it never got any easier. She always felt a horrible feeling in pit of her stomach when she was in these walls and around these people.

Chi-chi however, had none of 18s problems, her eyes were busy looking 18 up and down. Chi-chi shook her head and looked down at her own attire. She thought she felt frumpy around Bulma, but here, sitting next to 18, she felt like the frump queen.

"So," she picked up a conversation with the blonde beside her "how are things on the island? Gohan has been nagging that we drop by for weeks now, but it's hard with Goten and all."

18 nodded her head before she replied "Fine"

"Krillen?"

"What about him?" 18 looked confused.

"How's Krillen?" Chi-chi asked with a smile

18 blinked, hadn't she asked Krillen that same question the moment they had arrived. "He's fine to"

Placing her cup down on the table, Chi-chi turned in her seat to look 18 directly in the eyes. She wasn't stupid; she knew that something was up between Krillen and 18. She'd been able to sense the sexual tension between the two of them the second she opened the door. The question was though, would it be smart of Chi-chi to bring up such a topic, with 18, who was obviously not in touch with her feeling and emotions. Who was cold and distant and she was like that all the time. Well, at least when Chi-chi was around she was. That brought another though to the forefront of her mind. Was 18 like that all the time? Was it even possible for some one to act like that 24/7? What was 18 like when she was alone with Krillen? Did she laugh, did she smile, did she even know how to laugh and smile? Well if anybody was going to be able to break down her emotional wall, it would be Krillen. He had that certain quality about him, he was the guy that everyone felt they could trust with their deepest darkest secrets. But did everybody include 18?

"18," the tone in Chi-chi's voice was so sincere that 18 found herself totally tuned in and focused on whatever she was going to say next. "Can I ask you something?"

18 shrugged her shoulders, what harm could a simple question do? "I suppose so"

"You and Krillen, your close right?"

"I don't really know what you mean. I suppose we are. Why?"

"How close would you say you are?" Chi-chi continued to pry.

18 was finding that this conversation was becoming far to personal far to quickly "I don't really think that's any of your business Chi-chi"

"18. Krillen is my friend, Godfather to my children" Chi-chi replied, "I just want him to be happy"

"What are you insinuating by that?" 18 asked, raising her eyebrows and lowering her voice.

"Nothing" Chi-chi quickly replied, knowing that 18 could of and did take that the wrong way. "It's just that, it's so easy to see that he is totally smitten by you. His whole world revolves around you. And I'm sorry if you take this the wrong way, but I don't want to see him get hurt"

18 blinked. No one – not even her own dear brother had ever been that frank with her. Everyone had always tiptoed around touchy subjects when she was involved – even Krillen, for fear that they would get their heads blow off. Was Chi-chi immune to the fear 18 had been designed to invoke? Why wasn't she backing down? 18 guessed that was what years of living in the circle of elite fighters had done to her. Being the mother and wife of Earths saviours had made her one tough lady.

"Why would I do that?" 18 asked, her voice surprisingly calm.

"18, you must be able to see how Krillen feels about you, so I want you to answer me this truthfully" Chi-chi looked 18 directly in the eyes as she spoke. For some reason she felt compelled to help 18. "Do you reciprocate those feeling?"

18 was silent for several minutes as she mulled over her answer. She had never been confronted with this question before. She had always just taken what she had had with Krillen for granted. "I-I don't know" she finally replied.

Chi-chi smiled warmly at her. She knew what it felt like to be scared and confused and not know what to do about it. Her whole life practically revolved around those feeling. Never knowing if you were ever going to be totally happy again. Just as she was about to say something, 18 continued to speak.

"It's like all of my feeling and emotions are tied up into one little ball," she paused for a moment as she thought, "and it's hell trying to sort it out on my own"

"Well who ever said you had to?" Chi-chi asked.

18 looked up at Chi-chi, an expression of puzzlement on her face. "What do you mean?" she asked quietly. She was still finding it more than a little hard to believe that she was having this conversation – and with Chi-chi of all people. 18 really hadn't pegged herself as they type to open up like this, but then again, it had been building up inside her for months and months, and it had to come out eventually.

"You don't have to do anything alone you know 18. You have Krillen – who loves you very much. And if you feel like you can't talk to him, then I'm here. I'm not scared of you 18. I know that you could kill me 10 times over before I could even blink, but with a family like mine, I've learnt not be scared by something as trivial as death"

18 opened her mouth, she was going to say something. But something on the edges of her excellent vision caught her eye. Krillen walked into the room, a bright smile on his face and little child in his arms. 18 smiled without even realising it.

"Hey 18, wanna come out doors with me and Gohan and build a snowman?" Krillen offered as he pulled on his jacket.

"Snowman?" 18 asked, "What the hell is that?"

Krillen and Gohan looked at each other and burst into laughter. 18 however, didn't see the funny side to it.

"C'mon," Krillen grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the chair, "You'll love it. You coming Chi?"

"Give me a few minutes to dress Goten and we'll be out" she said, also trying to suppress her laughter at 18's naivety.

---

The afternoon flew by quickly after that. 18 learnt what a snowman was, and was also involved in her first ever snow fight. Before long, it was getting dark, and Krillens stomach was beginning to rumble. He had promised 18 dinner in the city. He knew 18 was looking forward to the city, she loved all the bright lights, loud music and cheery people. Krillen too, was looking forward to dinner, not so much for the city, but for the chance to spend time with 18 – alone, away from the constant surveillance of Roshi and Oolong.

"Chi-chi," he turned to smile at his long time friend, "thank you very much for having us this afternoon. Hopefully we can repay the favour sometime soon"

"Yeah mum, lets go to the island!" Gohan piped up cheerfully.

Chi-chi smiled and placed her hand atop her sons head, "If you get all your homework done, then I'll consider it".

Gohan kicked at the snow with his shoe, that was not the answer he had been looking for.

"It was great to see you all again" Krillen said as he rose a little into the air, preparing to leave. 18 followed suit and also lifted off the ground.

"You to" Chi-chi replied, then she turned to speak to 18 "Take care 18" she said with a smile.

"You to," she said with a nod. Her mid had been racing for hours now. She hadn't found her answer yet, but she knew where, or who, to get it from. She had finally solved her part of the puzzle, now it was up to him to complete it.

With one final goodbye, Krillen and 18 sped off into the cold night sky. The bright lights of the city awaited them.

"That was fun" Krillen commented as he sped up, leaving a fading Ki trail behind him

"Yeah" 18 quietly agreed, then sighed.

"What's wrong?" Krillen asked, flying closer to her without even noticing.

"Nothing," 18 shook her head, "nothing at all"

"You sure?" Krillen arched an eyebrow and looked at her

"Yes I'm sure"

"I don't believe you"

Before long, lights could be seen on the horizon. As they approached they outskirts of the city, Krillen and 18 landed and began to walk. They soon found them selves right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of city life. It was a Saturday, and the city nightlife was in full swing. Music was playing, shops were open and people were having fun. The miserable clouds that were present over the island were nowhere to be seen here on the main land, in fact, the night sky was littered with stars.

"What should we do first?" Krillen asked as he slowly strolled along the busy streets

"What do you mean?" 18 replied.

"Well we didn't come here just to eat. There are heaps of things to do here!" Krillen exclaimed.

18 had to smile at his enthusiasm. "We can do what ever you want"

Krillen rolled his eyes, a trait he had picked up from none other than 18. "I don't see how that's fun for you. C'mon," he yanked her hand and pulled her into a department store, "I want to buy you something"

"What?" 18 asked, "Why would you want to do that?"

"Because I lo…" Krillen covered his mouth, hardly covering his slip up, yet he quickly changed his statement anyway "because I feel like it. C'mon, anything you want in the whole store. It's your's"

"I don't think I should take advantage of your generosity like that" 18 stated as she turned to leave the store. Krillen reached out and tugged on her arm again. "I insist," he looked at her with pleading eyes "please?"

18 rolled her eyes and Krillen smiled "fine!" Like she would turn down the opportunity to shop anyway.

---

Yes, it was true, he had done something stupid. Well actually he had done two stupid things. He now knew that offering to let 18 shop with someone else's money was a bad idea. But that wasn't his biggest mistake of the evening. He had almost blurted out his secret. The casualness of the moment had gotten the better of him and he had accidentally dropped his guard for a minute, and then he had less that smoothly covered it up. He was such an idiot. Now she would never respect him.

Blinking himself back into the present, he looked down at the several bags in his hands. 18 was in a dressing room trying on yet another outfit. Placing the bags on the ground by his sides he picked up the smallest one and pulled it open. He felt himself blushing at what he saw inside.

"So, some of Oolongs habits have rubbed off on you?"

Startled, Krillen dropped the bag he was holding and looked up, only to again be startled, but this time it was for all the right reasons. 18 was standing in front of him wearing a highly alluring pair of leather pants and tight fitting tee-shirt with something scrawled across the chest.

Krillen was at a loss for words. He wanted to tell her that he wasn't like Oolong and if he had any idea what was in the little bag that he wouldn't of dared look. He also wanted to tell her that she looked drop dead gorgeous. But his mouth was dry and his mind was numb.

When Krillen didn't reply, 18's face fell. As stupid as it sounded she had really been hoping her would like her choice of outfit. She took his silence as an indication that he not only didn't like it, he downright hated it. "You don't like it?" she asked.

Krillen suddenly found his voice. "No no no," he began, "I love it. You look beautiful"

"You're just saying that"

"18, would I lie to you?" Krillen flashed her a funny lopsided grin and she felt compelled to believe him

"I don't see why you would"

"Good!" Krillen firmly stated. "Now get changed, then we'll pay for that and go get some dinner"

---

"Does this place look ok?" Krillen pointed to a small restaurant which sported a banner proudly boasting the fact that this particular establishment had won the 'West City Community Award in the category of 'Best small restaurant"

"It looks like a winner to me" 18 stated, the sarcasm just dripping from her voice.

Walking in, they were quickly seated at a nice table for two just near enough to the open fireplace as to be warm, but not hot. It was a welcome relief from the snow outside. They placed their orders and were brought a glass of wine to drink while they waited.

"I like it here" Krillen commented, leaning back in his chair and glancing around the half full room. There were probably about 35 other guests in here. It was busy, but not over crowded. "How about you?"

"What about me?" 18 asked, sipping her wine. It was white and had a distinct fruity taste to it. She had no idea what it was, but she quite liked it.

"Do you like it here? Or have I stuffed up again?"

"Again?" 18 asked, she wasn't aware he had stuffed up already. "It's nice here"

"You really think so?"

"Krillen, would I lie to you?" she mimicked his question from earlier and made him smile. She liked to see him smile. It made her smile too.

"I'd like to think that you wouldn't"

"Of course I wouldn't. You know that."

The conversation ended as 18 drifted off into thought. Seven months ago she never would have imagined herself in this situation. Hell seven months ago she was homeless, hungry and very very cynical. Krillen finding her must have been some kind of sign. The odds of it were astronomical, but it had happened. How he had ever coaxed her into moving onto the island was just a blur to her now. She tried not to remember those dark days that came right after Cell. Instead she focused on all the things she had learned and experienced on Kame Island and all she had yet to learn.

There was still one thing though that she just could not get her head around. The one thing she wanted to work out more than anything. The one thing that baffled her and infuriated her beyond all belief, and that was her emotions

It was a constant struggle for 18 to work out what she was feeling and why she was feeling it. She never knew what type of feeling went with what emotion or how to deal and act upon certain emotions. But the thing she hated the most was feeling something, having no idea what it was she was experiencing and not knowing what to do about it.

Not only was it highly annoying, but it hurt. She knew she wasn't entirely human but not being able to feel like normal human felt was the worse than any physical pain imaginable. It really made her aware she was a cold heartless robot.

"18…18 you still in there?" Krillen waved his hand across the blonde's field of vision, "18?"

Shaking her head and blinking, the distant look vanished from 18's eyes as she returned back to the real world. Some time during her musing, dinner had arrived. The pleasant smell invaded her nostrils as she picked up her utensils and began to eat.

"Are you really sure you're ok 18? You haven't been your usual self all afternoon" Krillen sounded genuinely concerned about her well being.

"I'm fine," she said, hoping her lie would finally convince him. She was not fine, she was far from fine. She had something she desperately wanted to get off her chest, but she didn't know how to do it. She wanted to tell Krillen her deepest secret; she didn't know how much longer she could keep it to herself and her conversation with Chi-chi had only escalated the problem. If Chi-chi was right and Krillen was indeed head over heels for her then why couldn't she see it? True, she hardly knew what love was, but she wasn't that dumb.

Krillen leaned in and looked at her more closely. She felt like a tiny bug under his intense gaze. "You are a horrible liar 18. You are so far from fine it's not even funny."

"Krillen, everything's ok. I promise"

Krillen looked a little hurt and 18 wondered what in the hell she had done wrong. "18, you just said 5 minutes ago that you wouldn't lie to me, and now here you are lying straight to my face. You do know, that if you ever have any problems you can always talk to me. Right?"

"I know" 18 slowly nodded her head and decided that the inevitable was about to occur. She couldn't put it off very much longer.

"All of a sudden I'm not hungry anymore" 18 said quietly as she pushed her food to the centre of the table.

"That's alright" Krillen assured her. He didn't mind paying for a meal that had hardly been touched. All he cared about was 18's health and well being. All he wanted to do was make sure she was ok. He loved her more than anything, his whole life revolved around her, he lived to make her happy. And right now, she wasn't happy, which meant he wasn't doing his job properly.

"You want to leave?" he asked

18 only nodded and sunk back into her seat.

Krillen got the check the got up and lead 18 out of the restaurant. They walked in silence until they reached the city limits. There were no people here, and they would easily be able to ascend into the sky un-noticed. The cool night air felt refreshing on 18's face as she slowly rose towards the stars. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Krillen stare at her, but she decided that she would wait until they were even further away from people before she confronted him.

---

Krillen made sure not to fly to low to the ocean, but he also had to be careful not to fly to high up in the sky. Underneath him, the waves were choppy and above him, the wind was violent and the air was static. It was going to rain, it was going to thunder and there was going to be lighting, and it was going to happen very soon.

"Krillen!" he heard 18 calling his name over the loud hissing of the wind. Coming to a halt he up righted himself and looked at 18 curiously. "What's wrong?" he asked, even though he was quite close to her he still had to yell over the wind.

18 held her hair in place and focused entirely on Krillen. "We need to talk" she replied.

"Now?" Krillen raised an eyebrow and looked around. "It's cold, it's dark and it's going to rain. The island is only 10 minutes away. Can it wait?"

"No it can't" 18 shook her head. She knew it was going to rain. She knew this was one of the worst places and worst times in the world to have a conversation like this one. That was precisely why she had chosen it. If things got messy she would be able to flee, she would have some time to escape and collect her thoughts. If however, she waited until she was back at the island, she would be stuck and if she was rejected she would have nowhere to hide. Here, she could escape, there she could not.

"What's the matter?" Krillen asked, flying still closer to 18 so he would be able to hear her. He was beginning to get wet. Big fat raindrops were falling from higher in the sky then they were. Suddenly there was a terrifying crack of thunder, which made even 18 jump, followed by a blinding streak of lighting. After that the heavens really opened up and the two lone figures hovering above the ocean were soaked to the bone in a matter of seconds.

"I…" 18 trailed off, she began to fidget with her hands. "I need to tell you something"

"Wait a second" Krillen interrupted before she had a chance to continue. He flared up his Ki as high as it would go. Now the pair were engulfed inside a warm white bubble. All the harsh forces of nature were still visible, yet not touchable. It was an odd sensation.

Backing away from Krillen slightly 18 continued on with her confession. The eerie silence allowed 18 to speak normally, but even she was surprised by the sound of her own voice. So quiet and drained. "I wanted to tell you that…" she trailed off again.

Krillen could see that she was having a great amount of difficultly with whatever she was battling against. "18, don't be scared" he urged her to continue.

"I don't know exactly how to tell you this, because I don't know how you are going to react," Krillen was quite sure it was going to be something terrible "I…I…Krillen I have feelings for you. Strong feelings. I don't know what they are, but I like them and I thought that you should know" she took a long shuddering breath as she completed her sentence.

Krillen was shocked. So shocked that he totally forgot about radiating his Ki and they both got wet again. "18 I…" he began as he powered up again, "I'm a little confused. I don't think I understand you". 18 couldn't possibly be saying what Krillen thought she was saying. Could she?

"I don't know how to explain it" 18 couldn't bring herself to look Krillen in the eyes.

The next thing she knew, 18 felt two warm hands take her own. Looking up her eyes met Krillens. Nothing was said by either of them for several minutes. They were content just how they were. Eventually though, 18 continued to speak.

"When I'm around you I feel good. Like I never want to leave. You make me smile and laugh. I'm sad when you're not around and I find myself thinking how long it will be until you come back." Said 18. Her voice was apprehensive; she feared what Krillen was going to say next. The ball was in his court; what ever he said next, would determine the rest of 18's life, however long that may be.

Krillen could feel the tears welling up in his eyes and rolling down his cheeks, and he was sure he felt his heart stop beating when 18 reached out and wiped them away with her thumb.

"18, I feel the same. I've loved you since the very first moment I saw you. I just thought, that a guy like me would never stand a chance with someone like you. So I always kept my feelings private"

"A guy like you? What do you mean?" she took his hand again and gently squeezed it.

"Well I'm not exactly a prize catch 18. I mean, take Maron, she was only with me for my wallet. No body would ever want me for me. So you can understand why I'm a little…shocked"

"Krillen," 18 uttered his name and looked at him seriously "Don't say things like that," she whispered. "I'm one of the luckiest beings on the planet because I get to spend my days with you. Anybody who can't see how much of a special man you are is blind"

"Do you really mean that?" Krillen asked, overwhelmed that 18 thought of him like that

"Would I lie to you?"

Krillen didn't want to hear anymore. With one last glance at 18, he closed his eyes and kissed her. He smiled when he felt 18 kiss him back then pull away. Opening his eyes, Krillen was met by two tear filled orbs. He was stunned. Never, had Krillen seen 18 cry. Never, not once.

"I'm sorry. I...I took it too far. I'm such an idiot" Krillen cursed himself. He was always the one to ruin everything.

"No Krillen, you didn't ruin anything. In fact, things have never been better"

Krillen was feeling weak. He had been expanding his Ki out to its maximum capacity for almost 10 minutes now, and it was either keep it there or fall right out of the sky. They had no choice but to get wet. "I didn't?" he asked.

"No" 18 replied. "I think we should go home" she continued taking Krillens hand and disappearing into the dreary night sky.

---

They quickly arrived back at the Kame House, cold and dripping wet. Krillen collected towels while 18 made hot drinks. It was well after 11pm and Master Roshi and Oolong were sleeping. So they had the entire bottom floor of the house to themselves.

"Krillen," 18 began as she sat down on the couch and sipped her tea. "Out there, why did you kiss me?"

Turning his gaze from the raging storm outside, Krillen sighed deeply. "I…I guess I just let my emotions take over me. I'm so sorry. I just…I couldn't help it."

"Krillen, it's ok. You seem to have failed to notice that I'm not upset with you"

Krillen blinked. She was right, she wasn't upset. He had been so worried that he had lost her friendship that he hadn't noticed she was still there and still talking to him.

"I'm so sorry 18. I love you so much, and when I kissed you back there I guess I got a little terrified because I thought I'd scared you away for good. You mean everything to me, and I couldn't imagine not having you around."

Looking down at her feet, a whisper of a smile graced 18's face. Looking up again, she reached out and cupped Krillens chin then gently kissed him. "I'm not going anywhere. I've learnt a lot today Krillen, one of those lessons is not to let a good thing slip away. You're not good thing, you're the best thing I have. I'm not exactly sure what love feels like, but I think I might feel it for you"

"Y-y-you what?" Krillen had never in his wildest dreams imagined that he would hear that from any women let alone the most beautiful woman in the entire universe.

"I think I love you Krillen. And I know that you're going to help me learn just what love is, and then I'll know for sure" she stared deeply into his dark eyes, desperately waiting for his answer, and before she knew it, the two had become lost in a long passionate kiss. If this was what love was like, then she was in love for sure.

"I promise I'm not going to let you down 18. You mean so much to me, and I'm going to do my very best to show you that forever. You might not know if you love me, but I know that I love you with everything I have inside me, and I hope you know that to"

Resting her head on his shoulder, 18 sighed, "I know. Believe me, I know"

Wrapping his arms around 18, Krillen sighed. How had this happened he was not exactly sure, but he sure was happy that it did. It felt like an enormous weight had been lifted off his shoulders, now he was truly happy and truly complete. Looking down, he smiled. 18 had fallen fast asleep in his lap. She had had a big day. Krillen noticed how beautiful she looked when she slept; she seemed so peaceful and happy. Maybe she was dreaming, maybe she was dreaming of Krillen.

Standing up, Krillen adjusted 18 in his arms and carried her up the stairs towards her bedroom. Once her got there, he gently placed her on the bed and pulled the thick covers up over her. Then kissing her cheek softly he left her to dream. Wondering just what the morning would bring. Well whatever it was, Krillen couldn't wait.

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A/N: Well there you have it. Was it good? Was it bad? I'd love to know in a review! Thanks! D.B

P.S: If your not a member of the 'Krillin and 18 Campaign' yet and you would like to be. Visit my author profile page. There is a link there which will take you right to the website where you can join the campaign!


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